Beginnings
by Jimmy the Gothic Egg
Summary: The founders must face setting up a school, battle heirlooms, and handle family members. They're off to a great start.
1. Gryffindor Heirlooms

I'm on a roll with Founders fic! They're my new favorite people to write about.

_Beginnings_

**Chapter One: Gryffindor Heirlooms**

Godric had left the castle fully understanding that the rest of the founders were capable people and were well on their way to finishing the stocking of classrooms. He'd gone to explore the Dark Forest, because it could be important. While not great at making maps or chartering unexplored lands, he could start the semblance of a path. He'd brought his sword along, which was all he really needed. While not discreet in any form of the word, it was a weapon, and he knew how to wield it. If anything, what he may need to fight could, in theory, be distracted by all the rubies.

When he'd come back what couldn't possibly be more than two hours later, he could not have expected the sight he saw, which was something along the lines of Helga snoring in a pile of yellow curtains, while Rowena appeared to be braiding Salazar's hair.

"I—" Godric started, and then said, "You didn't… drug her, did you?"

Salazar tried to look at Helga, but Rowena pushed his head back in place.

"Look what you've made me do," she said. "It's all loose now."

"Sorry," mumbled Salazar. "And we did no such thing! She just has no tolerance for alcohol."

"We don't—" Once again Godric stopped himself. "We've got alcohol?"

"Yes—ow! Woman!"

She slapped him smartly. "Sit still and don't call me that! You said—"

"I said if I was drunk enough, which I certainly am _not_. It's all back there, Godric—I'm just pointing!—if you would be so kind."

Godric looked where he pointed and found two barrels and two mugs.

"Why is she braiding your hair?" he asked.

"Because I told her she could if I was drunk enough, but she seemed to think that meant when she was drunk enough to hold me down until I agreed."

Someone was singing. Godric looked around. "Wossat?"

"Just the hat," Rowena said. "Do you have a tie?"

"No. What hat?"

"The one your mother sent—ow! Stop! Pulling!"

Rowena had begun dragging Salazar across the room.

"I need a tie! I didn't put all that work into it to let it fall out!"

Godric looked around some more. "My mother sent me a hat."

"Yes—ow! Came—ow—while—ow—god damn you, here!"

Salazar pulled Rowena's tie out, causing her hair to fall around her shoulders. He threw it at her.

"There's a bloody tie, all right! The hat came while you were out."

Rowena pulled his braided hair very hard, and he buckled back, landing at her feet. She let go, stomped across the room to a pile of red drapes, and pulled out a hat. It looked very much like it had been woven from hundreds of other hats, and the wrinkles formed a sort of face, which happened to be singing. It saw Godric and grinned.

"Oh," he said. "That hat."

"Bloody _hell_, woman!" Salazar shouted from his spot on the floor. "That bloody hurt!"

"The snake slithers!" the hat yelled, and Rowena held it out as if trying to get as far away as possible. "It slithers away in the night!"

"I think that hat just insulted me!" Slytherin said.

"It does that," muttered Godric. "Also prophesizes."

"Does he now?" Rowena said in the least interested tone possible.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell which he's doing."

Helga snorted and sat up. "Curtains!" she cried. "Ought to hang those up." She saw the hat and groaned. "Damn. I thought it had been a dream."

"Hifflepiff!" it shouted.

"So… er, what do we do with it?" Rowena asked.

"It should've come with a message."

The hat stared and seemed to concentrate very hard. A surprisingly clear, female voice said through it, "Dearest Godric, your Aunt May has heard talk of your school. She's very proud. She sent the hat and said it's been very helpful lately. She left a message, but… I've got no time to repeat it." There was a quick bickering quiet, and the message continued. "If it mentions anything about—" Another quick argument. "—plummeting, er, stocks and men, it'd just be best to ignore it. Owl us with news. Love, Mum and Dad."

The hat fell silent. They all stared, first at the hat, then each other.

"Erm…" said Godric.

"Ye aunt says ye ought to be fighting like a respectable man!" the hat crooned in its normal voice. "These ye whores?"

Godric went red and covered his face. "I'm going to kill them…"

"All right, all right," it said. "Just him then."

Salazar pulled out his wand. No one stopped him.

With great effort, Godric stepped up and took the hat. "All right, we can't hurt it."

"Why not?" Salazar asked, a genuine whine pitching his voice.

"It's a family heirloom—"

"I know the secrets o' ye family, boy!"

"—_and_ if I destroy it, some people will get very cross—"

"Destroy! Pillage! Plunder!"

"—and when my family gets cross, I'll probably have to duel someone, and I just earned that sword—"

"In me gut! How'd you do it?"

"—and if I get killed, it will truly put a damper on the situation."

"Hogwash!"

"Please be quiet."

"All right then."

Rowena hadn't really been listening, but had to ask, "How did you _earn_ the sword?"

"Oh, my cousin had it last. He, um—"

"Defiled!" the hat screeched. "Noble as a vampire without blood!"

"He, uh, did, well," Godric paused to clear his throat, "something I had to kill him for—"

Helga gasped. Salazar laughed.

"The sword goes to he who wins it! I had to win it, and well, erm—"

"He brought the stony end upon the poor she-whore!"

"—Yes, well, it gave me a chance to kill him. Then my uncle had to kill me for killing his son, so I had to kill him, but the killing stopped after that!"

"You lie!" the hat cackled. "Fifteen people—"

"I did _not_, you stupid hat!" He looked at his friends and gave a nervous smile. "I really didn't." He paused. "That day."

"Oh," said Rowena simply. She'd gone a bit pale. Helga had buried herself in drapery.

"So," said Salazar, "if I kill you, do I get the sword?"

"In theory, I guess," Godric said. "but you'd have to beat me in a duel. Fairly. Erm. With witnesses."

"Don't see why it's got to be fair," muttered Salazar.

"And he shall cut them down!" the hat shouted. "I smell booze!"

"How does he smell?" Rowena asked."

"Magic, he offered weakly.

"Put me on! I'll tell you where your secrets lay!"

Salazar smiled. "We're off to a fantastic start."


	2. Slytherin's Locket

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Two: Slytherin's Locket**

Letters started coming in not soon later. Some were requesting information to enroll their students (though they doubted they'd have the school set up by the time their children could enter), but quite a few were for Godric, most of which seemed to be filled with threats.

"You're family really hates you," noted Salazar.

"No," said Godric. "It's sort of a family greeting." He pointed to the bottom line. "See."

It read: "_Weladauþe, saz þat brytz. Uþarba spa_."

"Erm," said Salazar.

"May one or both of us die heroically before we get a chance to run into each other again," Godric cleared up.

"Oh." Something heavy dropped in front of Salazar, and the owl carrying it tried to sit on one of the candelabras, then fell over.

"What's that?" Helga asked.

"I don't know," he said and pulled apart the wrappings. A letter sat on top of a book and a large box. The letter had weight to it. A locket fell out.

"Is that—"

Salazar stood up, clutching the locket tightly in his hand. "Excuse me," he said coolly, and walked away very fast.

Rowena and Helga glanced at Godric, who shrugged.

"He showed it to me once," he said. "I don't know what it means."

They stared at him a little longer.

"…What?"

"It's just that," Helga said, looking at the door pointedly, "he seemed…"

"Suddenly cold," supplied Rowena.

"Yes, that. And you've known him longest, so…"

"You should be the one to talk to him."

"I suppose," said Godric slowly. "It's just that, if he wants to be alone, he's very much going to get himself alone. Especially if he's cross. He's—he hexed me once for walking into the boys' dormitory. I don't even know _why_."

They considered this.

"You could at least ask," Helga said,.

"I'm not going to get cursed. Don't you dare open that book."

Rowena pulled away quickly. "Why not?"

"It's from his parents, I think. Whenever they send him something, he used to make me open it, and I don't think we should touch them."

"Oh." She stared at the book and said, "What used to happen?"

Salazar returned with the air of someone who just recently composed himself, the locket swinging around his neck. He looked determined, but there was no hint towards what.

Helga, feeling brave, said, "Is everything all right?"

He looked at her as if he hadn't realized where he was walking. "Yes. My father's died."

There was a beat.

"And you're all right with this?" Rowena ventured.

"It doesn't affect too much."

Godric fumbled for words and made some interesting hand motions.

Helga tried something her mother used to do. "Do you want… a hug?"

He stared at her as if she'd just propositioned they take off their clothes and dance around a bonfire. "No!"

"Okay."

"What happens next?" Rowena asked.

"My mother will be arriving in three days."

"Oh."

"With my father in tow, I imagine."

Godric made some sort of sputtering noise.

"That's worse than the hat!" he finally said.

"I don't think so," Helga said after a moment's consideration.

Godric looked slightly disappointed. "We're starting a school! We can't have dead people hanging about!"

"We've still got a ton of work left," said Rowena. "We probably won't start the term in September."

"My mother probably won't stay very long. There's a rite that needs to be undertaken." He glanced at them and said in the least comforting tone he could manage, "You probably won't feel very comfortable with it."

"Couldn't be worse than the passing of the sword," Helga mumbled under her breath.

"It depends on what you deem as worse."

"Does it involve the dead body?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Rowena was staring at the box and the book. "Are you going to have a look?"

"You could."

She tenderly flipped back the cover of the book. A scream filled the air. Something shattered. She closed it quickly.

"Ah," said Salazar.

"What—"

"You've got to open it correctly."

Rowena seemed to be working out how to open a book correctly.

"What's in the box?" Helga asked.

"I have no earthly clue," he answered. Then he mumbled under his breath, "I can't believe she sent it."

"And through the pipes it shall kill!" the hat shouted from the cupboard they'd put it in.

"Still," he said. "Better than the hat."

**Notes:**

I actually got that phrase from the deathtocapslock archives on LJ. I have no idea if it's correct, and I'm told it's Saxon. I just thought it was hilarious and put it in.


	3. Snake Bearers

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Three: Snake-Bearers**

At two to ten, Salazar cleared his throat and said, "I may not have mentioned a few things."

They stared at him.

"As in…" Godric pressed.

"I may have lied."

"And?"

"I doubt it will even come up, of course," he assured them. "My mother is very… peculiar, and I thought omitting a few facts would put her at ease."

"Peculiar _how_?" asked Helga, who had dealings with 'peculiar' family members.

"Offensively so, to most people."

"Like when you talk?" Rowena asked.

"Yes."

The clock chimed ten, and a carriage crashed onto the ground five feet from Salazar. Helga and Rowena fell backwards, and Godric gripped the door frame to keep himself steady.

"What are those?" he cried, pointing to the invisible space in front of the carriage. It seemed to be all right, except for the back wheel, which was in two pieces.

"I don't see anything," Rowena said.

"They're right there!"

Helga shook her head.

A woman climbed out of the carriage. She looked very much like Salazar, perhaps with softer features, but her eyes were bright and sharp. She wore dark, extravagant clothes, and she scowled quite naturally. There might've been a smile as she saw Salazar, but it was hard to tell.

"Mother," said Salazar. "Could you be more dramatic next time with your entrance?"

It was definitely a smile this time, and she pulled it off without looking as if she were in pain. "Salazar, I thought you would appreciate it. Who are these?"

He gestured to each. "Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and you remember, ahem, _Godric._"

Who was still wide-eyed. "What are those?"

"Thestrals," said Salazar's mother. "Call me Anguifera. Is this Hogwash?"

"Hogwarts," said Rowena.

"Thestrals?" Godric said quietly.

"You're father's in the back," Anguifera said.

"I suppose we should find some place to put him."

Helga looked sickly.

"We have lots of empty space," Salazar said. "You'll be sleeping in—"

"Her room," she said, pointing at Rowena. "I'm sure it'll do nicely."

Rowena's jaw dropped. "We—"

"She looks cleanest," Anguifera said certainly. "Unless you planned to put me in some cold, unused cavern."

Salazar looked as if he was being strangled.

"Which reminds me," she continued, concerning herself with the hem of her dress. "You didn't open the box, did you?"

"I—" He shook his head, defeated. "No. I don't plan to. Ever."

She made a noise. "As long as that's settled—" In the tone of voice that said, 'We'll discuss this when we are not in the company of people.' "—I don't feel like standing out here all day, and I'm sure your father is starting to stink.

Helga began gagging. Rowena patted her back nervously, keeping a careful eye on Anguifera.

"And _what _is that _singing_?" she said.

"It's a hat," Godric said.

"Ah, well, I'll have to have a word with it then."


	4. The Family Tree

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Four: Family Tree**

Rowena slapped Salazar on the back of the head.

"_Ow_," he hissed, which was more or less what she heard. "What was _that_ for?"

"_My _room?" she whispered angrily. "_My room_, Salazar!"

"I think I'm starting to remember what your mother was like," Godric added. "She doesn't seem to recall me."

"We can only hope," Salazar muttered. Rowena slapped him again. "Stop that!"

"As soon as I get my room back!"

"Poor Helga," murmured Godric.

Helga was having Anguifera talking at her, and looked very close to tears. She glanced back at her friends, hoping they would interfere.

"This could end badly," Salazar said, then, louder, "Mother."

She turned, mid-thought. "Yes?"

"Your things seem to be missing."

"Svaltar will bring them along shortly."

"Who?" whispered Rowena.

"Wait," said Godric. "That's the house-elf that tried to light me one fire!"

"_That_'s where I know you from," Anguifera said suddenly. "I didn't recognize you without the flames."

Helga whimpered a little.

"That was actually Alfheim," Salazar said. "Svaltar was the one that followed me around for my third year and hexed anyone who came too close."

"Oh…"

"It's almost time for lunch!" Rowena shouted. "Helga, come help me."

They could've apparated, they moved so fast.

Anguifera seemed to be deep in thought. "Yes, the Gryffindors… I remember now." She smiled at Godric, and he could see all her teeth. Some of them looked sharp. "So sorry that Fera played those awful pranks."

Godric remembered a few and desperately tried to repress them.

"She's institutionalized now."

"Isn't that terrible," Salazar murmured, remembering every time his sister had left dead chickens in his bed.

"I sent a letter about your father's death. I imagine she'll break out soon."

Godric sputtered. "I, erm—Do we have food? I'm going to see if we have food!"

Salazar was left alone with his mother and her smile.

"Isn't this wonderful?" she said.


	5. The Reign of Anguifera Slytherin

I can't stop writing these.

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Five: The Reign of Anguifera Slytherin**

Rowena chopped apples angrily. "Can you _believe_ that woman?"

Helga made a noise. "She isn't _bad_. She's just _terrifying_."

Godric entered, shutting the door behind him, and looking out of breath.

"Oh, Lord, what did she do?" Rowena said, the knife just missing the apple and embedding itself into the cutting board.

"Nothing!" Godric said quickly. "Nothing. I just spent a summer with his family once. I forgot I'd repressed all those memories."

There was a loud _crack_ from the center of the room, and Helga screamed. A house-elf had apparated in. He stood at less than three feet, and his ears looked more like wings. He wore a deep green sort of dress, and he sneered at them. It almost resembled Salazar's, until he showed his yellow teeth.

Godric made a noise and pressed himself against the door.

"Where'd mistress go?" the elf growled. Its voice was the one you feared under your bed.

"Oh, dear god, it's getting filth everywhere!" Helga whispered to herself.

"Are you—Svaltar, did she say?" Rowena asked.

The elf nodded. Its ears brushed the floor.

"Anguifera and Salazar are outside the astronomy tower, I think," Godric said, looking less and less comfortable.

The elf looked around. "What we do?"

Helga coughed. "Erm… cooking. That's what he asked, isn't it?"

Svaltar looked appalled. "You do cooking? No! Out!"

Godric fled. Rowena attempted to dislodge the knife, but she thought it might've hit the countertop.

"We are perfectly capable—" Helga started, but Svaltar made a screeching noise.

"Only I cook!" he shouted. "Out!"

Helga glanced at Rowena, who shrugged.

"We'll be outside, then," she said.

Helga closed the door behind them. "But he's so dirty! I don't trust him with food. Or knives. Maybe not even forks."

"I've tasted house elf cooking, though," Rowena said. "It was possibly the most delicious meal I'd ever had."

Helga still wasn't sure, but dropped the subject.

When they found Salazar and his mother, they were hissing. There was a moment's pause, until they turned around, and the hissing died away.

"…And my hair is just the right length," Salazar finished. "Is lunch ready?"

"I don't know," Helga said. "A house-elf drove us out."

"What were you doing just now?" Rowena asked.

"Talking," said Anguifera. "It'll be ready by the time we return. Come."

She walked in the general direction of the Great Hall. The three stood still, Salazar attempting to look innocent as Rowena criticized him.

"It…" Helga said. "It's not her bloody castle!"

"Technically," Salazar interjected quietly. "It is. I do believe my family paid for it. Ow! I thought we stopped that!"

Rowena marched away, carefully watching Anguifera.

Helga raised her hand a second, and he flinched.

"Just testing," she said, and hurried after her friend.


	6. Beddings

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Six: Beddings**

Rowena was in Salazar's way, arms folded, a sack of items at her hip.

"You look angry," he said.

"Your mother," she started. In the past, Salazar had never been pleased with sentences that started with 'your mother.' "Your mother has _commandeered_ my room. I walked in, and she was _bathing_ with my _things_."

Salazar attempted to wipe the mental images away. "Please…"

"The point is," she continued, "I no longer have a room. I'm taking yours."

"No," he said without hesitation.

"It's all right if you refuse," she said nonchalantly. "I just won't tell you here I hid the hat."

He paused and looked at her in new light. "It can't be that hard to find."

She smiled. "If you're sure. I'll be stacking books in the library when you give up."

It took one hour.

"Yes, Salazar," she said as he approached her.

"It keeps singing," he gasped, gripping his hair in frustration. "Then it stops to tell me my hair is too long. It's not _anywhere_."

She closed her book. "We'd have to make an arrangement."

He sat down in front of her. "You are not getting my room."

"I just need your bed."

"_I_ need my bed."

"But I'm female, thus delicate. The chivalrous thing to do would be offering me a bed."

"I'm not Godric. Why can't you sleep with Helga?"

"She snores and kicks in her sleep."

"You don't know what sort of filth I sleep in."

"A few charms could fix that."

They locked gazes. Rowena grinned.

"I do believe I've won," she said.

"You've won my bed," he warned. "But I plan to annoy you as much as possible until you fall asleep." He saw her expression and added, "And who knows what horrible, unfortunate things I might do afterwards?"

Rowena paled.

"Snoring and kicking couldn't honestly be so bad."

She stood up. "I guess you're right. After all, I'd much prefer Helga's floor than that incessant singing." She smiled at him, and for just a moment he was reminded of his mother when she was being particularly cruel. "Good night."

Salazar's mouth opened, and he tried to get up before she walked away. It didn't really work out, and he landed on the floor.

Well, he thought, staring at the books around him, at least no one saw that.

Rowena's laughter hung in the air.


	7. The Sorting Hat

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Seven: The Sorting Hat**

Salazar dropped the hat on the table next to the biscuits. Rowena didn't even look up.

"What time did you find it?"

"Around four."

"What's that?" Anguifera asked.

"It's a hat," Godric said. "It likes to annoy."

"Put me on!" it crooned. "I know what's in ye head!"

To the horror and fascination of those around her, Anguifera did so. The hat went silent.

"She put it on!" Helga whispered to Rowena, who had dropped her spoon.

A few minutes of pure silence passed, and then she took it off, setting it on the seat beside her.

"As long as that's settled," she said. "Is there gravy? Oh, Svaltar will get it."

The elf appeared, and its entrance snapped them out of it.

"What just happened?" Rowena muttered.

"Did the hat—What?" Godric was just as confused.

"We'll have to teach it proper English, of course," Anguifera said. "My attempts with Svaltar don't go over so well, but I'm sure the hat will be easier."

"You got it to stop singing," Salazar said in breathy awe.

There was a new sense of appreciation for their guest.

"What did it—er, did it do anything?" Godric still flummoxed for answers.

"It's a sorting hat," she said, wiping her mouth delicately.

"It's a what?"

"It sorts."

Quietly, Helga whispered something to Rowena.

"What exactly does it sort?" Salazar asked, studying the hat from a new angle.

"Thoughts, general things."

"And you got that from…"

Anguifera smiled, patting the hat beside her. "The hat told me. Are we done?"

They all gazed carefully upon the hat.

"I'll be in the courtyard then."

She glided away. Anguifera Slytherin did not walk.

"Someone ought to put it on," Godric said slowly.

"Oh…" said Helga, who looked at it distastefully. It would probably dirty her hair.

"Erm…" said Rowena.

"It's your hat," said Salazar.

Godric glanced up at all of them. They stared at him expectantly.

"But…" He thought for a good excuse. "What if—What if it messes with my mind?"

"She did just fine." Salazar gestured at the space his mother had occupied.

"I don't think that's a good example," Rowena mumbled, picking up the hat. "Er… Are you going to mess with Godric's mind?"

"I doona know how," it answered.

She held it out to him. "See."

"It could be lying." But he put it on anyway.

"_I see ye know_," said the hat inside his head.

Oh, God, it's going to eat my head, he thought.

"_Am not. Ye head is too hard. Like a ramming block._"

Don't insult me!

"_Ye make it too easy._"

Are you really a sorting hat?

"_Am so. I'll sort whatever you like._"

That's, er…

"_Ye make me feel fuzzy. Take me off!_"

Godric quickly complied, and it narrowly avoided the pudding.

"What happened?" Helga asked.

"It insulted me, I think," he answered, rubbing his head. It didn't feel like it'd tried to eat him.

"That's not new," muttered Salazar.

"It says it'll sort things."

Rowena made a thoughtful noise. "It could be helpful."

"So long as it's not singing."

The hat replied, "And the dragon comes in the night!"

"Lock it back in the cupboard, please."


	8. Rituals

So first, my laptop breaks down. Followed by dad's computer breaking down. Followed by my dad's computer erasing all information stored there.

But, if you glanced at my profile, you already know that excuse.

I got me a shiny new computer (shiny being the operative word, as it actually lights up! Squee.), but it takes a week to install Word (mostly because my dad didn't tell me where he hid it), and I can't login to my account from this computer.

Yeah, I'm pissed.

Excuses aside, I'm writing the chapters, emailing them to myself, then loading them on my dad's computer.

Just so you know.

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Eight: Rituals**

Every family has their little rituals. The Slytherins were a bit more literal about theirs, so long as it didn't make them too uncomfortable.

"This is awful stuff," Salazar said. He grimaced and tried not to dump the entire chalice on the ground. Really ghastly it was.

"Stop whining," Anguifera said, pouring herself a glass. "You're lucky I don't bring the real blood. But your father would understand that drinking blood is just not civilized, unless you plan on wearing a cape and biting women in under wire."

The wine was truly terrible. He was certain she was pouring from a different bottle.

"Now drink up and light the fire," she said. "I'm getting cold and slightly tipsy. And we'll have to discuss the egg."

"That was a hideous thing for you to do." He tapped the coffin with the tip of his wand, and it lit on fire.

"It'll take it a while to grow to full size, of course. Your great-uncle had one longer than this castle once, tried to eat him alive. Simply adorable when they're worm sized though."

"Feed it, water it." She smiled. "Let it do its work."

"What happens if I don't let it do any of that?"

Her face got very hard, and she turned to face him, dark eyes illuminated by the fire. "Salazar, you've always enjoyed doing things your way, which was all right. But this, this is our greatest victory. We have a weapon that needs no wielding. We don't even have to tell it what to do because it already knows! You may have apprehensions about the lives of your students, I can understand that. And your mudblood friends, well, that's just you sorting with the wrong people. But you don't need to do anything. It probably won't start killing until it's much bitter anyway. Just keep it alive." She turned away from him and picked up the wine. "Now I'm freezing and tired. I'll be leaving in the morning, so let's pretend we enjoy these visits for just a little while longer. Goodnight, Salazar."

He didn't answer. He was too busy wondering how to explain the basilisk to his friends.

**Notes:**

So ends the reign of Anguifera Slytherin. I did like writing her, but it's time to move on.


	9. Language Barriers

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Nine: Language Barriers**

Rowena emerged from the library, grabbed the passing Helga by the shoulders, and said, "Ah ha!"

It was all very confusing, until she explained it. Helga followed Rowena to find Salazar and Godric digging through maps.

"You," Rowena pointed a finger at Salazar, "are a Parseltounge!"

They looked up briefly before diving back into the creased parchment.

"I had to dig through three stacks of books to find that term!" Rowena continued, voice pitching to a whine.

"I could've told you that," Godric said. "Tons of people do it."

"He's right," Salazar conceded. "You're just an idiot."

Rowena went a little red in the face. "You could've told me!"

"That you're an idiot? I thought everyone knew."

"No! That you could talk to snakes!"

"I talk to a lot of people. I can't keep track."

With a frustrated cry, Rowena stormed from the room. Helga clapped her hands together and said, "Who wants lunch?"


	10. Students

_Beginnings_

**Chapter Ten: Students**

A month before the term started, there were letters. Parents were sending their children, supposedly to learn. Rowena and Helga were waltzing around the room together while Godric sorted through them.

"We'll have students," Rowena lilted.

"We'll have to stock the classrooms," Helga worried.

"They'll be sending money too."

"We'll have to cook for how many?"

Godric held up one of the letter. "That makes fifty-two."

"That doesn't seem like many."

"They'll be more!" Rowena gleefully picked up a stack uncounted. "Look at these!"

"Hey," said Helga, looking at those. "There's a Gryffindor in here."

Godric stood up quickly, grabbing the letter from the stack. They watched the expression on his face as he opened it, which was somewhere at shock and sprinting towards horror.

All he said was, "Oh."

And then he walked out of the room, perhaps to get drunk.

Rowena picked up the letter and read:

"'Dear Goddy,

"'We sent a letter to some of your relatives, and they were happy to send their little ones your way. While we were disappointed your school showed no mention of dueling without the use of wands, we must support family. And it should increase your numbers quite a bit. Give them my love, Mum.'"

"Oh," said Helga.

They glanced at each other.

"You don't suppose they'd kill anyone."

"Just 'Goddy' I'd wager."

"You suppose we ought to tell Slytherin?"

Rowena smiled a little. "I'm going to ask the hat how it could stick some Gryffindors in the Slytherin house."

Helga set the letter down and shrugged. There was an upside to everything, it seemed, and she had little doubt her friend would use it to her advantage.


End file.
